Extraordinary Seminar: Current Events in Iran

Name: Extraordinary Seminar: Current Events in Iran
Start: 2026-01-20T12:15:00+01:00
Location: Niels Henrik Abels vei 36, 0313 Oslo, Norway

Schedule

Tue, 20 Jan, 2026 at 12:15 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

Niels Henrik Abels vei 36, 0313 Oslo, Norway | Oslo, OS

Seminar on Current Events in Iran:
Join us for a CIMS roundtable seminar with Professor Kristin Soraya Batmanghelichi and Senior Lecturer Samad Josef Alavi, both from Middle East Studies at IKOS.
Time and place: Jan. 20, 2026 12:15 PM – 1:30 PM, Eilert Sundts hus, A-blokka Auditorium 4 (BL09113)
Triggered by a severe economic crisis mass protests have erupted across Iran since the end of December 2025, escalating into widespread anti-government demonstrations across the country. Iranian authorities have responded with a near-total internet blackout, mass arrests, and violent crackdown, reportedly resulting in hundreds of fatalities. The violent suppression has prompted widespread international condemnations, including threats by the United States of a possible intervention. The unrest is described by observers as one of the most consequential challenges to the Islamic Republic in recent years.
To help us better understand the current crisis in Iran, Center for Islamic and Middle East Studies will host a roundtable seminar with two faculty members at IKOS, to share their views and reflections on the evolving situation in Iran. Professor Soraya Batmanghelichi will discuss the impact of these social revolutionary moments for key stakeholders in Iran's political and clerical establishment and civil society actors. Senior Lecturer Samad Alavi will give an overview of the Iranian opposition movement at this crucial moment in history with special attention to the protestors’ current demands and their coverage in Persian language media.
About the speakers:
Dr. Batmanghelichi is a professor of Modern Iranian Studies at IKOS. Her research focused on contemporary women's movements, sexuality, and gendered public space in Iran and the modern Middle East.
Dr. Alavi is a Senior Lecturer at IKOS and teaches Persian language. His research focuses on modern Persian literary cultures, especially political and aesthetic debates among the generations of poets who participated in the Iranian Revolution of 1979.
https://www.hf.uio.no/ikos/english/research/center/islamic-and-middle-east-studies/events/thursday-friday-seminar/2026/extraordinary-seminar-current-events-in-iran.html